Belgium’s Doku set to rejoin World Cup squad after son’s birth

Belgium’s Jeremy Doku is preparing to fly back to join the national team at the World Cup after the winger returned to England to be with his wife, who gave birth to a boy on Monday.

Doku and his wife Shireen welcomed a boy called Praise.

The 24-year-old was criticised by a L'Equipe television presenter for leaving the team midway through the tournament to attend the birth.

Doku had already missed Belgium's 0-0 draw with Iran through illness after playing in their first match, a 1-1 draw against Egypt.

"Welcoming my son into the world is one of the greatest blessings God has ever given me," Doku said on Instagram.

"Now it's time to get back to football and represent my country on the biggest stage," he added.

Belgium (0-0-2, 2 points) trails Egypt in Group G by two points and concludes group-stage play against underdog New Zealand on Friday in Vancouver. A win would all but guarantee Belgium a place in the knockout stage, and a draw would not rule out their chances to move forward as one of the eight-best third-place teams.